Starsong
Starsong is the world where the Sleepless adventures take place. It is the second planet from the sun, Talanas. It is orbited by two moons; Yslach and Songbird. The name "Starsong" comes from a theory that it was born from the dying song of Azarus. The name itself is most likely a reflection on the billions of colourful stars in the sky rather than the dying song of a flayed god. Throughout Starsong's long, strange history, it has been called a "Purgatory" world, something that magisters and scholars have heard from creatures of the heavens. This has lead many to believe that the cycle of cataclysms and wars are the result of some grand mystery, some kind of punishment. Geography Starsong is comparable to Earth, but more stretched tall than wide like our own world. The world was once comprised of two continents; Belisaere and Lidelas and a large isle, the Dor Isle, but after the Shattering it was shaped into our current world. It is unknown if the world is round or flat as the known world is surrounded by the Deep Sea. Some believe that Starsong is endlessly flat, and that all the planes are merely somewhere in the Deep Sea. Following the Collision, Yurimar disappeared entirely, taken all those within, with it. Continents * Dawnforge: The birth continent, the central landmass of the world. A homeland to Dwarves, Elves, Men and monsters where they live across separate Empires. * Boletaria: The south-most continent, Boletaria is a mostly hot arid realm of desert, jungle and mountains. Those within are divided by geography and strange theocratic bonds. * Aerrune: The north-most continent, Aerrune is a frozen tundra ruled by a coalition of united races and tribes with a unique philosophy. * Carthus: The east-most continent, once the home of demons. It is a twisted, wasted land where a strange people within live in a stranger land. * Drangleic: The colossus of continents, the home of exiled dragons. It is so large nobody has ever explored it in its entirety, claiming that you'd have to spend a decade even flying across it. * Yurimar: The missing continent, it disappeared in a massive surge of arcane energy. It is remembered as a large continent rivalling Aerrune in size, home to warring tribes of Dwarves, Goliaths and many others. Isles * Arl'Skellig * The Reaching Isles * Corpsewater Coast * The Shattered Isles Islands * Oolacile * Mihanji * Zena * Zothique * Molvis * Caath * Tessar * Temris * Colossa * Paradiso * Cyrail * Gemseed Seas and Oceans * The Abyssal Ocean: North of Dawnforge, separates it from Aerrune. * The Sea of Glass: South of Dawnforge, separates it from Boletaria. * The Shivering Sea: West of Aerrune, separates it from Drangleic. * The Expanse: North of Aerrune. * The Bleeding Sea: East of Dawnforge, separates it from Carthus. * The Empty White: South of Boletaria. * The Deep Sea: Surrounds Starsong. * The Azure: An inland ocean within Boletaria. Other * The Skylands * Amendaso * Laerve * Thorolund * Persana * Jogunspeak Inhabitants Mortals Humans Elves Dwarves Other Monsters More History Preface Time is convoluted. This is something you will see and hear a lot when talking about Starsong. Time is measured by interesting or disturbing things happening. An age is defined by its cataclysm; the Old World had the Doom, the Age of Fire had the Shattering, the Age of Magic has the Collision. This is a collection of relevant things that have happened over the 4000 years of Starsong’s existence. And in the Beginning… There was the Black, the Big Nothing; the Void. Then something happened, and that black became home to a world. The Eight Scribes said this world was called Starsong, but didn’t have anything but theories why. Everything must have a beginning. Except for Starsong, its creation remains a mystery. Scholars tell tales of the Crossroads, a place where the Void intersected and the airless space between the stars became a real, physical place. What we call “Gods” are nothing more than ideas clashing in the Kosmos, dancing and dueling in a constant heavenly flurry. Your priests will tell you this world was made for you, that Azarus was flayed to let his bones become root and his skin the earth, that Zamanthras let herself drown to give us its oceans, that Crythnul sang a song that created life from void and empathy from apathy. That Talanas immolated themself so we may use their burning corpse to become a sun for warmth and light. These aren’t lies, but what an adventurer will tell you is the only truth; No matter who made this world for what purpose, we had to fight for it. The Age of the Old World – Time Unknown * First there was war; the Gods of the Old World battled the Chaos Gods, their followers the forces of mortal kind versus the forces of chaos, for the first time * Given the fact we live in relative peace, that means mortals won * Science and technology thrives for an unknown period of time, but definitely a long time * Gnomes are leading this age of innovation while mortals squabble * Massive empires span across the nameless continent in a time of peace * Eventually demons get interested and something called the Torment Crusade begins * This starts a second war against chaos * The Torment Crusade is claimed to cause the Doom, singlehandedly destroying the Old World * The Doom buries all traces of the Old World, leaving nothing behind but a drowning, empty nothing The Age of Magic - Current year is 4388 The Time of Fire – 300 years * This age is better documented than the Old World, as it established the new land after the Doom. * The first breed of new humans, the Saltborn, battle the first new breed of elves, the Candlelit * The Ironheart dwarves don’t seem to care, they horde all manner of minerals and worship strange gods * Eventually the Saltborn and Candlelit call a truce and unite the two major nations of Liven and Belisaere. * There was only two continents back in this age; Belisaere and Lidelas, plus the Dor Isle * Lands in Lidelas were Liven, Tristin, Kulka’as and Coastrock. * Belisaere is a land of humanoids such as dwarves and elves, while Lidelas is split into regions of different humans * Those of Liven are a proud race with a rather odd caste system. They would later become the Empire of Humanity as well as settling the major continents. * Those of Tristin are an odd race of warriors, who would later become the Carimasi after settling Carim when Tristin was destroyed. It was infamous for its witch hunts. * Those of Kulka'as are merchants and nomads who would later become some of the first wizards after discovering that their street magicians could truly produce flame from thought. * Those of Coastrock are a hardy breed of islanders who would become the first Cragsmen and Warborn. * Orcs are created by the Harbingers of Chaos, who fight humans, elves, anyone from nomadic tribe clans, starting the Scattered War, a series of skirmishes against the other races for their Chaos Gods. * Several civil wars start and end because of Chaos. * One such war is caused by the Lord of Decay, upon the death of his avatar spreads the plague known simply as the Decay. It seems to target the most advanced race, the Gnomes. * The Decay wipes out nearly every Gnome, causing them to almost de-evolve * Unexpectedly, the dragons arrive—from the Moon, Songbird. They bring word of their god, and offer mortals a choice; join or die. * Naturally mortalkind refuses. * Ends with the Shattering, a dragon weapon that caused the world to split apart, also creating the Underdark when several regions fell into the earth. * These two continents and its lands became the new continents. The Time of Dark – 2000 years * Humans are enslaved by dragons, forced to build the city of Rekingor in Drangleic. This takes several hundred years and generations of humans to do so. * Over the generations the humans would be released into the servitude of tyrants in different parts of the world; most notably the First Men of Boletaria and the Drachen of Drachonis. * The First Men of Boletaria, under the Pthumerians, wander the lands that would later become Karneria, Djaal and Saine. * The Drachen are the humans ruled under the dragons and their children, the Rhega. * The Queen of the Moonless Sky, Murdiellamal, eats the sun, plunging the world into darkness. * King Kalameet, the Inspiration of All That Hates, brings ruin as the progenitor of this new, dark world. * Thus begins the Longest War, the dragons against the rest of the world. * During this era it is possible that demons and dragons aligned * Carthus is used as a penal colony for the duration of the Longest War. * The entire world spends this age trying to survive in the new world that dragons forced upon them * Dragon experiments lead to chaos, as well as these same dragons electing tyrants to lead the lands of Starsong * The most notable tyrants, who were pawns of either dragons or demons, were the Consumed King, the Pygmy King, Gravelord Oolnir and the Nameless King. * During this time, Elves and Dwarves subsist through the chaos and build some of the first societies since the sun was swallowed. * Giants, Elves and Dwarves try to free humanity as they form the First Alliance. * The world is thrust into cycles of darkness and light again and again. * Terrible diseases, rebellions and needless wars ruin the land. * The Legendary Thirteen, a party of the greatest adventurers to ever live, begin a guerilla war against demonkind while the Alliance battles dragonkind. * The members of this party being; Anduril, Talanas, Khetashe, Ordo Karris, Ronin Cran, * Towards the end of the Dark, Talanas (who was a demigod at the time) sacrifices himself to become the new sun. * During this time the Nameless King is overthrown by Anduril, who later builds the Weapon. * He is now known as King Anduril the Imlirith. * The Weapon being one so terrible the dragons surrender upon its use, however one decisive conflict known as the Battle of Wyrms leads to the death of many dragon-lords and the disappearance of the Legendary Thirteen. * Ronin Cran, Murdiellamal, the Dragon Lord of Storms Skourzh and Ordo Karris are some of the casualties. * Thus marks the end of Time of Dark The Time of Rebirth – 890 years * With the destruction of the empire of dragons, Drachonis is a distant memory of the humans of Dawnforge who leave it behind as the Dread East * Begin to colonize Dawnforge, Aerrune, Boletaria, Yurimar and Carthus almost immediately (Y 2301) * Humans, Elves and Dwarves colonize Aerrune together after a short, pointless war * Invading humans fight against the united forces of Boletarian natives, lead by a nameless Sun King. The Sun King is defeated, and Boletaria is split into four sections; Karneria, Djaal, Daxia and Saine. * While the Badia have existed in Boletaria for 2000 years, the Hadhar are establishing civilisation. Karneria and Daxia among them welcome civilisation, while Saine persists with the Yuan. * The Shattered Isles are slowly colonized over the majority of the Time, as fringe groups began to colonize and become a new nation. * Carthus is colonized by humans en masse, but the vicious Drow have been living in the shadows of the demon city, marking the beginning of the Endless War. * The Witches are hunted relentlessly by the new Carimasi, descendants of Tristin and madmen. * Carim and Londor are established while Myovos build in the ruins of the Old World. * The first Lich King, Oltovm the Unskinned, sees the mistake of life in Carim. * Yurimar is colonized by dwarf lords but it is so large that they don’t notice the native races for many years. * The native Goliaths of Yurimar begin to seek new lands in Boletaria, Dawnforge and Aerrune. * Dawnforge is ruled by the Mad King Jaret, Old Okri Margol and King Anduril the Imlirith. * The Mad King proves his namesake as he enslaves half of his ruling kingdom, specifically the nation of Taenibir. * The Mad King begins to hunt down Psionics after the Return. * The Mad King is killed by the Slave Knight Gael after the Taenibirian Rebellion, revealing him to be a gold dragon in disguise. * The First Sword King is placed in power over Citadel. * Throughout history the Sword Kings share rule with the Priest Kings and the Scholar Kings. * Dawnforge is divided fairly into the three Empires while the Drow persist under the cursed lands of the east. * Soon, life becomes vaguely normal, until the Collision marks the end of the Time of Rebirth The Time of Chaos – 410 years * The Collision shakes the world as monsters arrive. * Many mortals see the arrival of monsters as something good, while others begin to band against them. * Thus begins the Last War. * Introduction of monsters brings the Chaos Gods back to power, but also heightens the power and intensity of magic everywhere * All throughout Starsong, each civilization is divided by worshippers of Chaos and those who wish to retain their humanity. * Millions are killed in the ensuing war of those fighting alongside monsters, the Forces of Chaos, against the forces of mortal kind, the Alliance. * This depletes the resources of the world and eliminates a generation of mortals. * The world's population is depleted. * During the Last War, Chaos infects Saine. Saine battles against Karneria while Djaal is trapped inbetween. This begins the War of the Red Sand, which continues today. * The disappearance of Yurimar causes a lot of blame, but no-one to point it at. Precious minerals and resources from Yurimar are now rare, and nobody today still knows why Yurimar disappeared. * The Queen with a Thousand Teeth begins a conquest to the east of Dawnforge, causing ruin throughout * The lands of Myovos and the Run are ruined by Chaos. * Daxia and Oolacile retreat into isolationism to prevent Chaos from infecting them once more. * A series of decisive victories leads to the end of the Last War * Ends upon the end of the Last War, with the Alliance barely pulling through The Time of Innovation – 785 years * Not only did the Collision bring Chaos to Starsong, but it brought a new form of magic. * Many schools of magic are started, most notably the School of the Golden Sun whom create magical items. * The Farronites take a different approach to magical items, but they too become vital to this new world * The Vandelimon Family begin to dig up old Gnomish technology * Magic items are slowly becoming more and more common * Magic users also become more common, and now even the lowest of peasants can cast. * Technology thrives thanks to efforts to use Old World arcanatech. * Communities begin to rely on magic and arcanatech more and more. * The Endless War goes quiet and nobody hears from what is happening within Carthus. * The Shadow Fort and the Lost Sinners are established on the outskirts of Carim. * The Massacre of Muraska occurs, killing one-third of its population * The Raven Queen is killed by Ubik the Voidless, causing Gevrauche to become the God of both Death and Time * Azredak the Betrayer murders the Third Sword King, Adonis Gryphenos. This is believed to have lead to the Red Harvest. * Ends with the Red Harvest. The Time of Unrest – 3 years * The Time of Innovation is abruptly ruined by the Red Harvest. * The Red Harvest sows a lot of distrust towards all Shicts. * The Invasion occurs, where all across Dawnforge creatures from the 17th plane of the Abyss, Nethra, assault the communities across the continent. * They are stopped at the Battle of Berenike. * The Void is killed by Vash of Darkshine, revealing its true face. * Following the Death of the Void, the Godsfall begins. For several days every deity from the Undying Lands are dethroned and forced to the material plane. Many begin pilgrimage to the birthplace of all gods, Caer Siorai. * The Endless War, the War of the Red Sands, the Death of the Void and the recent Invasion cause this time to be named the Time of Unrest, for now Glossaries * Ordinary Life * Swords and Sorcery * The Natural World Unnatural * Shared Myths